A positive sign for Kendrick Meek? The Hill says Florida Senate race now a toss-up

The Hill now rates Florida's Senate race as a toss-up -- as Gov. Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio slug it out for the GOP primary and Kendrick Meek completes his push to get enough signatures to get his name on the ballot.

The Hill had rated the race as "leaning Republican." But it says "The open seat in Florida, currently held by placeholder Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.), is looking more and more like a potential Democratic pickup opportunity. As the race stands now, Marco Rubio is likely to be the GOP nominee. And Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.), unlike in early polls against Gov. Charlie Crist (R), is polling close to Rubio in some cases. Rubio has also begun to take his bumps over some personal financial issues, and it’s hard to see him coming out of the primary against Crist’s $7.6 million bankroll without some bruises.

"Meek has been raising solid money, and he’s also less well-known than Rubio at this point, which could account for his deficit in some polls. Florida is a swing state, and like other swing-state open seats right now, we’re expecting a close race that should start as a toss-up. MOVED FROM 'LEAN REPUBLICAN' TO 'TOSS-UP.' "